A MAN on trial for attempted murder and rape has previously been locked up for shooting a bouncer in the face, Bradford Crown Court has heard.

Wayne McNally, 34, of John Street, Tong Street, admitted shooting the doorman in the face outside a nightclub in Dublin in 2008 after being refused entry.

This previous offence was revealed to the jury at Bradford Crown Court by prosecutor Gerald Hendron, who said McNally was refused entry to Buzz Nightclub at the Red Cow Hotel in Clondalkin, County Dublin, Ireland, and left the club before returning later and shooting the doorman through the mouth and neck with a pistol.

He is currently on trial for allegedly raping and stabbing a woman in the neck, attempting to murder a man and a separate assault, which he denies.

Judge Neil Davey has ordered the jury to return verdict of not guilty in relation to a further assault by beating charge against his McNally’s wife.

In defence, Nick Worsley spoke to McNally about that incident in February 2008.

McNally told the court the doorman had called him to tell him an ex-partner was in the club and at risk.

He said: “The bouncer was a member of the Irish National Liberation Army - a break-off from the IRA - a terrorist group.

“He was demanding money from me. He range me and told me my ex-partner was in the nightclub and if I didn’t pay up she would get the brunt of it.

“I went and tried to resolve it with him, and tried to talk to him and tell him I didn’t have the money to give him.

“He was there with five other bouncers and told me she was inside and there was nothing I could do about it.

“I left and I came back with a pistol. I tried to reason with him again, I hadn’t produced the pistol at this point.

“I got nowhere trying to reason with him, so I took the gun out and shot him, but I pleaded guilty and served my time for it.”

He also explained how he came to end up in Bradford following his release from prison.

“I left Ireland when I Came out of prison to come over here to start a new life,” he said.

“I left because I felt my life was in danger if I had stayed over there. I left behind two sons when I came here.”

McNally was arrested at Manchester Airport on December 22, 2018, where he had a ticket to fly to Dublin.

His version of events earlier that day are that the woman and the man - the alleged victims - attacked him, with her stabbing him in the leg, and she had actually been stabbed in the neck by the man. He said he had been acting in self-defence when he punched the man and woman.

He told the court he was flying to Dublin for Christmas to spend time with his two sons and take them to see their grandmother, as last Christmas was a difficult time for his ex-partner’s family as the previous Boxing Day her father had died.

McNally said he and his former partner “got on great and still do” and they had not argued once about his access to the boys over the Christmas period while on the phone to her, which the alleged rape victim said they had.